Forgot to mention...

...because I was so busy trying to find my nephew.

I thought Pres. Bush's opening remarks on the South Lawn were nicely done. Did you see the Pope's face light up in agreement when Bush said (I paraphrase) we cannot let ourselves or our country fall prey to the dictatorship of relativism? Good stuff.

Nicely done, Mr/s. Speechwriter!

Also, I am SO GLAD that the Holy Father spoke so candidly about the sex abuse scandal, and that he met privately with victims. The feral side of my brain wanted (and still wants) heads to roll. Fortunately, it is tempered by the legal side. The legal side tells me, rationally, that we've had to wait all this time for such a public demonstration of remorse until the storm of litigation had subsided, by and large.

It's terrible to say (morally, and "common- sensically") but from a legal standpoint, earlier apologies might have been construed as admissions of guilt while litigation was still pending. (NB: while I believe many people were indeed abused, some personally known to me and my family, I also believe that there's been a lot of bandwagoning by sick, sad, angry people - so let's just say all proven cases had to be brought to conclusion.)

Now that the majority of cases have been resolved, the healing process can begin. Many criticize JPII for not doing enough, or saying enough, but I firmly believe that he was not in a position to be able to do so, at least in public, before his death. Our German Shepherd was not so reserved, calling the abusers "filth" and "scum" while still a Cardinal.

I think B16's greatest legacy, his health and God willing, will be to reform, tighten things up, separate the wheat from the chaff, clarify catechetical questions, and quell the post-V2 chaos...so that we can reclaim and reaffirm our Catholic identity. "It is more important to have good priests than many priests."

Rock-steady, and Rock-on, Successor of Peter!